Age estimation of female schoolchildren by number of permanent teeth erupted; a study from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

To find out the most suitable and reliable method for estimation of age of Saudi female children at the time of eruption of a permanent tooth. The population used for this cross-sectional study was comprised of female schoolchildren from kindergarten to intermediate schools [pre-school to grade 9] of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 4836 children were examined and only 1599 children showed at least one tooth [just1] erupted. Height and weight of the selected sample were recorded after the clinical examination. The demographic information was recorded from their personal files of the school record. Number of teeth present at the time of eruption of a new permanent tooth [Method 1] and linear regression [Method 2] were employed to estimate the calendar age. On average time of 5 years and 9 months, two teeth are erupted in Saudi female children and about 13 years of age all the teeth except third molars are erupted. The regression equation of age [Y] with height[X[1]], weight[X[2]] and total number of teeth[X[3]] erupted was as follows: Y = -6,008 + 0.182 X[1] + 0.096 X[2] - 0.013 X[3] R[2]= 0.847; Results showed that calendar age of 63% and 70.8% of the Saudi females can be estimated accurately within +/- 1 year by Method 1 and Method 2, respectively, furthermore, age of 38,5% and 39.4% of Saudi female children can be accurately estimated within +/- 0.5 years by these two methods, respectively. Regression method showed better age estimation procedure than simply counting the number of teeth at the time eruption

Caries and oral hygiene status among a group of Saudi cleft lip and palate children

The objective of the present study was to determine caries prevalence and oral hygiene status among a group of Saudi cleft lip and palate [CLP] children. A total of 84 cleft children [45 males and 39 females] were examined for dental caries and oral hygiene status. The children were divided into two age groups; Group A with children age one to six years and Group B with children age seven to 14 years. All the children in both age Groups had dental caries. The mean dmft [decayed, missing and filled primary teeth] score in Group A children was 10.54 [SD 4.59] In Group B children, the combined mean dmft/DMFT [decayed, missing and filled primary and permanent teeth] score was 10.92 [SD 4.90] respectively. There was no statistically significant [p>.05] difference observed between the mean dmft/ DMFT scores in relation to age and gender of the cleft children. More than half [54. 7%] of the children had poor oral hygiene. In conclusion; the caries prevalence and severity was high in the studied cleft children. Majority of the children had poor oral hygiene

Statistical presentation of eruption age of permanent second molars, premolars and canines in female school children living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

To determine the mean eruption times of permanent canines, premolars and second molars; and the relationship of the eruption times of these teeth with height, weight and Body Mass Index [BMI] in Saudi female school children in Riyadh. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using stratified cluster random sampling. The data were collected within one and a half months [September to October 2005] from 10 schools of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS and The study comprised female school children of grade 4 to grade 9 from primary and intermediate schools in Riyadh. Ten schools [8 public and 2 private] were randomly selected from four regions of Riyadh City. A total of 3186 children were examined of which 889 children were found suitable for the study. Clinical examination was carried out under natural light by direct visual inspection and manual palpation. Height and weight of the selected subjects were recorded. Demographic information on age, educational level, date of birth, place of birth and family name of the children were recorded from the school record. The mean age of 889 subjects was 11.58 +/- 1.57 years [R: 8.8 _ 16.1 years]. Mandibular left canine showed the lowest mean eruption age of 10.5 +/- 0.9 years. Maxillary left second molar showed the highest mean eruption time of 13.0 +/- 1.3 years. Maxillary second molars and maxillary canines showed significantly late eruption than the corresponding mandibular teeth [P < 0.0001]. All comparisons of contralateral teeth were insignificant [P > 0.05], except the maxillary second molars and second premolars [P = 0.025 and P = 0.012, respectively]. Eruption time was significantly positively correlated, linear as well as partial, with height of the children for all the studied teeth. However, the partial correlation with weight was negatively correlated for all the studied teeth except maxillary right second premolar. There was no statistically significant correlation between eruption time and BMI [P > 0.05]. Mandibular left canine showed the lowest mean eruption time, while maxillary left second molar showed the highest mean eruption time. The mandibular teeth erupted before their maxillary counterparts, except right second premolar and left first premolar. Eruption of teeth was positively related to somatic growth [height and weight], while it became negatively correlated with weight, when height was controlled

Oral health knowledge among female secondary school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

To determine the oral health knowledge among female secondary school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The information about oral health knowledge was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 656 randomly selected female secondary school children completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the children was 16.6 [SD 1.4] years ranging from 14 years to 18 years. A great majority [94.4%] of the children was aware that good dental health is important for good general health. About two-thirds [68.0%] of the children correctly thought that teeth should be cleaned after each meal, however, more than one-fifth [22.0%] of the children reported that no one taught them how to clean their teeth. More than one-third [37.3%] of the children thought that one must visit the dentist only in case of pain in teeth. About nine in ten children [91.0%] were aware that sweets [chocolates/candies] could cause tooth decay. However, a large number of children were not aware of cariogenic potential of sweetened milk [74.5%]. About three-fourth [76.5%] of the children knew that the best way to maintain optimum gingival health was to clean their teeth daily. Dentists were the most popular [48.5%] source of oral health information. The oral health knowledge of female secondary school children in Riyadh is satisfactory. However, further information needs to be provided in the areas of toothbrushing, importance of regular dental visits and harmful effects of sweetened/soft drinks

Oral health knowledge and sources of information in parents of Saudi disabled children

The objective of the study was to obtain information about oral health knowledge in parents of disable children and the parents' awareness about their disable child's oral health. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized for this purpose. A total of 300 parents [235 [78.3%] mothers and 65 [21.7%] fathers] from the six disability centers in Riyadh completed the questionnaire. Slightly more than two-third [68.0%] of the parents thought that one must visit a dentist at least once every six months. Almost all the parents [99.7%] thought that cleaning teeth was important; mainly to prevent tooth decay [89.3%]. About nine in ten [92.7%] parents had heard about fluoride. However, only 17.3% considered water as a possible source of fluoride. A high percentage of parents were not aware of cariogenic potential of packed juices [82.3%] and sweetened milks [74.3%]. Regarding parents' awareness about their child's oral health; 86.7% of the parents claimed to observe their child's oral health. Almost all [98.7%] of them responded that they can maintain a good dental health in their children by supervising their tooth brushing, reducing sugary food intake and making regular visits to a dentist. A great majority [94.7%] of the parents believe that their child needs assistance in maintaining good oral hygiene. In about half [47.5%] of the children, the last dental visit was the first ever visit to a dentist, and one-fifth [20.5%] of the last visits were due to dental pain. It can be concluded that parents' knowledge of oral health was satisfactory in most areas. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the oral health of their disable children

Eruption time of permanent first molars and incisors among a sample of Saudi male schoolchildren

The objectives of the present study were to determine the mean eruption time of permanent first molars, central and lateral incisors and to compare the relationship of eruption time with Body Mass Index [BMI] in Saudi male preschool and primary schoolchildren of grade 1 to grade 3 [G1 to G3]. The study population comprised 716 randomly selected male preschool and primary school children from G1 to G3. The eruption time of permanent first molars, central and lateral incisors with age, height and weight were recorded. The mean age of children was 81.5 +/- 10.9 months ranging from 61 months to 111 months. The results show that, maxillary right first molar had the lowest mean eruption time of 70.2 +/- 5.3 months and the right upper lateral incisor was the last tooth to erupt with mean eruption time of 94.1 +/- 8.3 months. Furthermore, the mandibular incisors erupted significantly earlier than maxillary incisors. By the age of 88.4 months, 97% of the boys had all their first permanent molars erupted. There was no significant correlation observed between eruption times with BMI, except for tooth # 32. Nevertheless, it seems that an inverse relationship may exist between the eruption time and BMI. When comparing with the reported results of other national studies, the Saudi male children showed later eruption time than some of African countries and earlier eruption than Iranian and Australian children of permanent first molars, central and lateral incisors

Oral health knowledge, attitude and practices by parents of the children attending Ksucd clinics

The objective of the present study was to determine the oral health knowledge, attitude and practices of the parents of children attending the King Saud University College of Dentistry [KSUCD] Clinics in Riyadh. The information about the parents'oral health knowledge, attitude and practices was collected through a specially designed self-administered questionnaire. A total of 73parents, 54 [74.0%] fathers and 19 [26.0%] mothers completed the questionnaire. Almost all [98.6%] the parents thought that good dental health was important for optimal general health and that routine check-up dental visits help in maintaining good dental health. While six in every ten [60.3%] parents thought that teeth should be cleaned three times daily, only four in ten [41.1%] parents actually brushed thrice daily. Majority of the parents understood the main causes of dental caries such as poor oral hygiene [93.2%] and high sugar intake [84.9%], but more than one-fourth [28.8%] did not think the frequent intake of soft drinks as a caries risk factor. A majority [82.2%] of parents claimed that they observed their children's diet [82.2%] and dental health [78.1%]. About one-fourth [24.0%] of the parents responded that they did not spend time with their children about how to maintain good dental health. It can be concluded that the parents'knowledge about oral health is generally satisfactory with some exceptions and their attitude towards oral health is positive. But, there are shortcomings in the area of preventive practices